This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 238 Eradicating the World's Hidden Dangers

"If even the chakra cannon can't break through the defensive barrier, I'll have to resort to my trump card prematurely, and then the war will end like a child's play!"

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.

No wonder they were so confident at the meeting three days ago; they had a trump card that could end the war with an absolute advantage!

Although no one could imagine what could possibly end the Allied Shinobi Forces with such an absolute advantage, and subconsciously believed that such a thing could not possibly exist in the world, anyone else would definitely think it was just bragging.

But since these words came from Ryuji Ayaki's mouth, they believed them.

Since the other party has been creating miracles that shatter their imaginations all along, it's not incomprehensible that they would do it again.

Rather, it's the other party's inability to do this that would surprise them.

but……

"Since we have such a trump card, why not just use it?" Granny Chiyo asked doubtfully. "If we use it directly, we can win without suffering much loss. Wouldn't that be better?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Ryuji.

Ryuji leaned back in his chair, his right elbow resting on the armrest, his palm supporting his right cheek, a faint smile on his face. "If the war ends too easily, the mastermind behind it won't show itself."

"The mastermind?"

Everyone was taken aback, then someone asked, "Are you saying that this war is being orchestrated by someone behind the scenes?"

"It's not really behind-the-scenes manipulation, since he was out in the open," Ryuji said casually. "Our previous actions might have alerted the villages in the ninja world, but they weren't enough to warrant a united front against us. But they did it anyway, and it's all thanks to Zetsu."

"But that Zetsu was just a remnant of the Akatsuki. We wiped out the Akatsuki when they were at their peak, so what's a remnant?"

"If only it were that simple!" Ryuji breathed a deep sigh of relief and said, "Although I really want to reveal the whole plan, it's too far-fetched, and it will be very difficult to convince you. In short, you just need to know that this war with the Allied Shinobi Forces is just a means to achieve my goals, and there will be no surprises in terms of victory or defeat."

"Bang!"

Granny Chiyo slammed her fist on the table, her gaze piercing as she stared at Ryuji. "It's not as easy as you make it out to be. These are the lives of thousands upon thousands! Do you think the lives of so many people are insignificant compared to your goals?"

"Yes."

Long Er calmly observed the crowd, their eyes blazing with anger, and said indifferently, "I'm not saying that anyone's life is more precious than anyone else's, but this is a necessary loss. If we didn't do this, countless times more people would die in the future. To put it more aptly, it's like throwing away a penny to gain trillions!"

Granny Chiyo stared at Ryuji for a long while before saying, "...Is it really that exaggerated?"

"That's even more outrageous!"

Meeting the questioning gazes of the crowd, Ryuji nodded slightly, "I will eradicate the ninja world—no, I will eradicate the hidden dangers of this world—in this war!"

……

"boom!"

The pillar of light, imbued with terrifying energy, dissipated, and the people in the four sky cities breathed a sigh of relief once again.

Although they had already blocked one shot, with the bloody lesson of Amegakure as a precedent, everyone was still worried about whether the shield could block a second one.

"Send Sky City up there! Anyone with wind-style chakra, equip them with wind wings and launch a counterattack!" The Third Raikage, resurrected through Edo Tensei and now in charge of the army, issued the order.

Suddenly, the mechanical city split up and approached the floating continent from four directions.

At the same time, countless ninjas, equipped with glider-like gear, flew out of the city and circled around it.

……

In the conference room.

Those who broadcast the scene here using ninjutsu immediately noticed the movements of the Allied Shinobi Forces.

The Third Kazekage remarked, "It seems they intend to hold the battle on the floating continent!"

The floating continent is as big as Konoha Village, while the mechanical city, due to its structural layer, although its population is similar to that of Konoha, occupies only three-fifths of the floating continent.

That's enough to send an army of 50,000 into battle.

"Keep firing. Although the enemy has moved, making it harder to hit them, the four Sky Cities are spread out, and their previous defensive shields aren't that thick anymore. If we can hit them, we might significantly reduce their strength. Of course, we still have three Chakra Cannon shots left. Even if they all hit, at least one enemy will reach the floating continent, so prepare for boarding action!"

"yes!"

……

With the order given, the Chakra Cannon fired again.

However, as Ryuji said, the accuracy of the chakra cannon drops significantly when the enemy moves. After all, the enemy isn't a meteorite; it can accelerate, decelerate, rise, and perform other maneuvers, making it impossible to calculate and accurately hit.

The cannon shot flew past the target at a distance of nearly ten meters, vaporizing a bunch of flying ninjas.

If one shot misses, try another.

Weapons with devastating power were fired one after another as if they were free, but except for the last shot, the rest missed.

The final shot, which should have hit its mark, was also transferred to another dimension by the distorted space.

Kamui!

Obito's Kaleidoscope Eye Technique.

He was covering his bleeding eyes, breathing heavily.

"How are you? Can you still fight later?" Shikaku asked with concern.

"No, I'm fine!" Obito said defiantly. "Although my eye power is a bit depleted, as long as I don't use such a large-scale Kamui for a while, I'll be fine."

"That's good!"

Lu Jiu breathed a sigh of relief.

To infiltrate the Mechanical City and seize control of it, Obito's Kamui is indispensable.

"Let me join the special team too!"

"It's a boy who looks ordinary," said a voice from inside the room.

Although he was only about fifteen years old, he was over 1.8 meters tall and had big eyes.

He was wearing a black short-sleeved t-shirt, ninja uniform shorts, a samurai sword on his back, and a Konoha headband on his forehead.

"No need, Shisui, I can..."

"With you joining us, that would be perfect!" Shikaku interrupted Obito's boastful words and made the decision on his own.

"Hey, why are you like this? I'm all you need!" Obito grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Kakashi couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Although what happened back then made Obito much more composed, during these five years of peace, his personality gradually changed back to that of his childhood.

Although this is proof that he has emerged from the shadow of his past sorrows, and it is something to be happy about, all sorts of unreliable things happen when carrying out the mission.

Kakashi's subtle change in expression didn't escape Obito's notice, and Obito's expression grew even more displeased. "Hey, Kakashi, what's with that expression? I'm the hero who just saved everyone!"

"You can continue on your way if you want, but I want to remind you that we have already reached the floating continent," said a middle-aged man with an afro.

His name is Hikari, a Jonin from Iwagakure, and he was recommended by Onoki to join this special operations team.

In the original story, he blinded Kakashi in one eye during the war with Konoha five years ago, buried Obito with a rockfall, and finally died at the hands of Kakashi with Sharingan.

But now, fate has made them teammates.

He is a very capable person, a qualified Jonin in every aspect.

Although he was unhappy that a boy old enough to be his son was chosen as the team leader for this operation, he did not let his emotions affect the mission and reminded everyone at a critical moment.

The remaining person, Chukichi... he was a fat man and also the top sensory ninja in the ninja world, whose sensory range far exceeded the Byakugan's field of vision.

In the original story, he was already dead when he appeared. He was summoned by Kabuto Yakushi using the Impure World Reincarnation technique to become a sensory ninja in the vanguard of the Impure World Reincarnation army, along with Deidara, Sasori, and others.

He said to the crowd, "Something is obscuring the city; I can't sense what's going on inside."

"This is really bad!" Shikaku took a deep breath, looking somewhat worried.

His original plan was to have Zhongji sense the uninhabited areas of the Mechanical City, and then have Obito use Kamui to lead the team to relocate.

But if you don't sense it, you might jump into the enemy ranks and needlessly annihilate an elite squad.

"Can you see my white eye?"

"I can't see it!" said a Hyuga ninja. "Normally, I can see the city walls, but if I activate the Byakugan, I can only see a clear sky, as if it doesn't exist."

"Damn it!" Shikaku gritted his teeth and said, "The only way is to attack and judge where there are more or fewer people by observing the enemy's defenses, and then you can all go in together."

"yes!"

"Obito, you should take this time to rest!"

"clear!"

……

When Shikaku assigned the mission to the special squad, the main battle had already begun.

The ninja army, equipped with wing-like gear, arrived first and launched the attack.

They flew through the sky like locusts toward the mechanical city, carrying kunai-firing guns, ready to launch an aerial attack once they entered the city.

However, even 500 meters away from the city wall, the sound of bowstrings being pulled could be heard continuously.

Then, a dense barrage of arrows came hurtling into view, blotting out the sky and leaving no gaps.

"Pfft pfft pfft..."

"Ahhh..."

"Bang bang bang..."

The sounds of arrows piercing bodies, the sounds of allied forces joining the battle, the sounds of corpses falling to the ground, the sounds of arrows cutting through the air... all sorts of sounds intertwined and never stopped, creating a symphony that one could imagine the ferocity of the battlefield simply by listening closely.

The bowstring was constantly pulled, and the arrows flew continuously.

Faced with this barrage of arrows that offered no opportunity for evasion, the Allied Shinobi Forces were swarmed like locusts that had been poisoned.

"Use the nuclear-powered cannon!" the Third Raikage ordered.

Instantly, the four sky cities began to transform, with each building shifting to reveal a steel cannon barrel as thick as a water bucket.

(End of this chapter)